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San Diego, CA --
California's personal injury lawyers lobby is desperately trying to build
legislative support for proposals that will create more lawsuit abuse and
push California closer to a recession.
Assembly Bill 36 by
Darrell Steinberg and Senate Bill 11 by Martha Escutia are twin bills that
would have several negative consequences for the state, consequences which
are being brushed off or ignored by the bills' sponsors.
These negative
consequences include:
- CONFIDENTIAL AND
PRIVATE INFORMATION WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO ANYONE WHO FILES A LAWSUIT
-- For a small filing fee of $194, anyone can file a lawsuit against
any organization or small business seeking sensitive, private and
proprietary information. This information can then be placed on the
Internet for anyone to see, the threat of which will only encourage
more defendants to settle rather than defend themselves.
- LEGALIZED EXTORTION
-- The provisions of these bills, particularly in relation to
discovery, create a tool by which a settlement can be forced upon
innocent parties simply by filing a lawsuit. This isn't justice.
- THESE BILLS CREATE
A HOSTILE BUSINESS ENVIORNMENT, FORCING COMPANIES TO TAKE THEIR
OPERATIONS OUT OF THE STATE, AND TKAE THEIR JOBS WITH THEM --
California's economic climate is already teetering, we don't need bad
laws that will push it over the edge into another recession.
- CLOGGED COURTS --
Frivolous lawsuits and endless debate over what materials should and
should not be confidential will only delay justice for legitimate
victims who must already wait years to have their day in court.
Trial lawyers claim AB 36
and SB 11 are similar to laws enacted in other states, but this is simply
not true! No other state has laws this far reaching. In fact, proposals
like AB 36 and SB 11 have been rejected by every other state, by Congress,
and by the Federal courts.
Trial lawyers also claim
these bills are needed to protect public safety. This claim overlooks the
fact that California courts already have the power to take into account
the public's health and safety when issuing protective orders.
For additional
information on these bills, please contact CALA at (619) 295-6059
CALA is a nonprofit,
grassroots organization dedicated to educating consumers on the human and
financial costs incurred when the legal system is abused for greed,
harassment or publicity. More than 8,000 San Diego County residents are
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